PROPOSALS to build houses on the site of a school have sparked outrage.

PROPOSALS to build houses on the site of a school have sparked outrage.

Cheshire County Council wants planning permission to build 15 two-storey houses on land at Middlewich Primary School on Park Lane.

The row has been sparked in the wake of Middlewich Primary School's imminent relocation to a new purpose-built building, which is near completion and will open on land adjacent to its former site.

Although the county council would not be responsible for any building on the site of the school's old buildings and surrounding school fields, it wants planning permission to be granted now so it can sell the land at a higher price to housing developers.

But Middlewich Town Councillors reckon the land should be given up for public open space - and are calling for the application to be quashed.

The county council says the former buildings must be sold to pay for the new state-of-the-art school, but town councillors believe important public open space will be lost if a housing scheme is approved. They also believe there is already an over provision of housing within the area, and fear the housing plan could spark traffic chaos near to the new school.

As a result, Middlewich Town Council has made a formal objection to the selling of the land.

Middlewich Cty Cllr Dave Sutton, who also serves on Congleton Borough Council, agrees the housing plan should be quashed, but said: 'The wishes of the town council to see this site used for public open space and given to the town is a great idea, but the problem is that the county council wishes to see a financial return on the land to repay the money that has been spent on building the new school, which we all agree was desperately needed.'

A spokesman for Cheshire County Council confirmed it had placed the planning application but said it wouldn't be involved in building work or demolition of the defunct school building, which still stands at the site.

Instead the building will be knocked down in February by contractors Pochin after pupils have relocated to the new building, putting an end to fears it would be left standing and become a haunt for vandals.